Selectmen approve AED purchase, parking manager hire in budget session
Board of Selectmen · Meeting of January 20, 2026
New Canaan selectmen wade through department budgets and flag a looming fire-fleet crisis. The Board of Selectmen heard fiscal 2027 requests from Health, Human Services, EMS, Police, Fire and the library, with Police citing a service-contracts line climbing toward $250,000 driven by a $67,000 annual Flock Safety camera contract and $75,000 in absorbed IT licensing. Fire officials said their seven-vehicle apparatus fleet averages 17 years old and that no ladder truck on the market fits the town's 1934 firehouse, forcing a roughly $1 million refurbishment decision.
"We have to absolutely rebuild that ladder," one selectman said, warning the next replacement will require a new firehouse. The library requested a $3,119,000 town grant, up 3.5 percent, after logging a million visitors since 2023. Selectmen also unanimously approved an $26,300 purchase of 11 defibrillators and hired Kevin O'Connor as parking manager.
In the full story:
- The complete report — 873 words
Source: the Board of Selectmen meeting of January 20, 2026, reported from the official video recording and transcript.
The Full Article
NEW CANAAN — January 20, 2026 — The New Canaan Board of Selectmen spent a marathon Tuesday session reviewing fiscal year 2027 budget requests from the Health Department, Human Services, EMS, Police, Fire and the New Canaan Library, with rising technology and equipment costs emerging as the meeting's central theme.
Police officials told selectmen their service-contract line is climbing toward $250,000, driven largely by camera and software costs, while Fire Department leaders warned that an aging apparatus fleet averaging 17 years old is approaching a crisis point that could eventually require a new firehouse. Selectmen also approved several routine items unanimously, including an $26,300 purchase of 11 automated external defibrillators for town parks and fields.
The Full Story
Health Director Amy, presenting her first budget to the board, reported a roughly 6 percent decrease in her department's request, citing reduced software subscription costs after the office consolidated from three Blue Beam licenses to one. She said her staff inspects 106 food establishments, 43 salons and 22 public pools annually, and detailed plans to expand community health screenings and a new part-time public health nurse position. Human Services Director Marcy followed with a budget down 8.9 percent, telling the board that food pantry participation is on pace to approach 2,000 households this year, up from 1,699 last year. She said outside agency grants, including for the domestic violence crisis center and New Canaan Cares, will be funded in full but at reduced cost to the town budget because of opioid-settlement and state grant money.
EMS treasurer John and administrator Barb outlined a budget built around a fixed $465,000 annual paramedic contract, now in its third year of a five-year deal with no cost-of-living increase. The ambulance service remains free to residents, funded in part through community donations that offset costs the town budget does not fully capture, officials said.
Police officials, presenting alongside the animal control budget of $93,491, said their overall operating request is roughly $8.373 million, an increase of about 3.8 percent. Selectmen pressed on a service-contracts line rising from roughly $130,000 to $250,000, which police attributed largely to a new $67,000 annual contract for license-plate reading cameras from Flock Safety and $75,000 in Microsoft, antivirus and data-storage licensing absorbed from the town's IT department. The capital budget request of $549,000 includes $150,000 to replace outdated Taser units and three new patrol vehicles.
Fire Chief officials requested $4,852,000 in operating funds, a 1.3 percent increase, while flagging a capital planning gap: the department's seven heavy apparatus average 17 years old, and its 2003 ladder truck cannot be replaced with a modern model because no ladder truck on the market fits the dimensions of the 1934 firehouse. Officials are weighing a roughly $1 million refurbishment against a new truck costing an estimated $1.4 million.
New Canaan Library officials requested a $3,119,000 town grant, a 3.5 percent increase, and reported the library was a finalist for the American Library Association's 2025 Public Library of the Year award and has logged a million visitors since reopening in 2023.
"We have to absolutely rebuild that ladder. In that time, you're going to have to build a new firehouse." — A selectman who serves as the board's liaison to the Fire Department
"We are very buttoned up." — Barb, EMS official
"We had a million people through our doors since we opened in 2023." — Ellen, New Canaan Library presenter
Why It Matters
The technology and equipment costs discussed Tuesday signal pressure points for New Canaan's 2027 budget cycle. Police software and camera contracts nearing a quarter-million dollars a year, and a fire apparatus fleet officials say needs a comprehensive, multiyear replacement plan, could shape capital requests the Board of Finance and Town Council weigh in the coming months. Fire officials specifically flagged that the town's ladder truck constraints tie into the town's long-term firehouse planning.
The library's request comes as the nonprofit works to finalize plans for reuse of its legacy 1913 building, which officials said will require separate funding requests before this budget cycle closes.
Key Motions & Votes
- Vote: Approve January 20 meeting agenda Tally: Approved unanimously - Vote: Approve January 6 regular meeting minutes Tally: Approved unanimously - Vote: Purchase of 11 automated external defibrillators from Chris Gardner and Associates LLC for $26,300 Tally: Approved unanimously - Vote: Purchase orders for New Canaan Museum & Historical Society ($25,000) and Daycare Center of New Canaan ($32,000) Tally: Approved unanimously - Vote: Travel request for Chief Financial Officer Anne Kelly Lens to attend Tyler Munis training conference, not to exceed $2,600 Tally: Approved unanimously - Vote: Hire Kevin O'Connor as Parking Authority manager, effective February 9, 2026 Tally: Approved unanimously - Vote: Appoint Christina Larson from alternate to regular member of the Planning and Zoning Commission Tally: Approved unanimously - Vote: Adjust town mileage reimbursement rate from 70 cents to 72.5 cents per mile, effective January 1, 2026 Tally: Approved unanimously - Vote: Approve legal fee payments Tally: Approved unanimously - Action: Board entered executive session to discuss terms of a real estate lease — Continued discussion, no public vote taken
Source
Town Of New Canaan: Board of Selectmen meeting, January 20, 2026